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At Fieldfisher we have years of experience pursuing hospital negligence claims on behalf of our clients. The majority of these claims will be funded by no win no fee agreements or with the benefit of legal aid, meaning that if the claim is not successful, you will not be responsible for any legal fees at all. Regardless of where you live in England and Wales, if you have been a victim of hospital negligence, we will be able to offer advice.

What is hospital negligence?

Occasionally things go wrong when you receive medical treatment in hospital. If the treatment you received is below an acceptable standard, then you will have suffered from hospital negligence, and you may be able to sue the hospital for compensation.

Types of hospital negligence

There are many types of hospital negligence. The below is a list of the most common types of hospital negligence claims that we see, but if you have received hospital treatment that you believe to be substandard, contact us and we will advise further:

Accident and Emergency claims

For many people, the Accident and Emergency department will be their first contact with a hospital. It is often vital that treatment is provided without delay and that a correct diagnosis is made so that the necessary treatment can be given.

Amputee claims

If appropriate treatment is not provided within a reasonable timeframe in hospital, the consequences can be devastating. Failing to recognise complications after procedures such as knee replacement operations, or failing to treat diabetes appropriately, can lead to limbs needing to be amputated in order to save a patient's life. Whilst the majority of amputation claims will involve unnecessary below, through or above knee amputations, we also have experience of dealing with claims involving upper limb amputations as well.

Anaesthetic claims

If you require surgery at a hospital, there is a good chance that you will require a form of anaesthetic prior to surgery. Occasionally the anaesthetist will make an error which can have devastating consequences such as nerve damage, brain injury or even death.

Birth Injury claims

Having a child should be one of the happiest days of your life. Unfortunately, far too frequently we see errors being made during the pregnancy or more typically in the minutes leading up to or following a child's birth. Such errors will often have lifelong consequences for the child or the mother.

Cancer claims

Approximately 980 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the UK every day. In other words, every 90 seconds someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer. Whilst the majority of people receive prompt diagnosis and treatment of their cancer, occasionally things go wrong. The majority of cases that we see are those where there has been a delay in diagnosing cancer, meaning a different staging of the cancer and that a patient requires greater treatment than they otherwise would have required and where their life expectancy may have been shortened as a result of the delay.

Paediatric claims

Paediatricians are responsible for the management of infants and children. Often such patients are unable to communicate how they are feeling or if they are suffering from a problem and it is therefore vital that they are treated properly. Paediatric claims are wide ranging and varied in their nature.

Meningitis claims

Meningitis is the infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Approximately 3,200 people in the UK are diagnosed with meningitis ever year. Delays in diagnosing and treating meningitis can lead to septicaemia and can have far reaching consequences such as permanent brain or nerve damage, limb loss or even death.

Surgical claims

Surgery is one of the key treatments offered by any hospital. In 2013/14 there were 4.7 surgical admissions in England, compared to only 3.7 million surgical admissions ten years earlier. The Royal College of Surgeons list ten main specialities of surgery as trauma/orthopaedic surgery, general surgery, ENT surgery, urology surgery, maxilla facial surgery, plastic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, paediatric surgery and vascular surgery. We have expertise in dealing with all of these forms of surgical claims.

If you feel that you are a victim of hospital negligence you may initially wish to make a complaint to the hospital to find out more about the treatment you received. Every hospital will have a complaints procedure which they will explain to you. Sometimes the response to your complaint will help us to understand more about your claim and give you better advice.

How much compensation can I receive for hospital negligence?

The amount of compensation you will receive for hospital negligence will depend on your own individual circumstances. You are however, entitled to recover compensation for the following:

The injury itself

You will receive compensation for the injury (sometimes known as "General Damages" or "Pain, Suffering and Loss of Amenity") that you have suffered. The amount that you will receive is governed by a combination of guidelines provided to the judiciary as well as awards in other similar cases. Awards range from approximately £1,000 for minor fractures and injuries to over £300,000 for catastrophic brain damage.

Past losses and expenses

You will receive compensation for the losses and expenses that you have incurred up to the point that your case concludes (sometimes known as "Special Damages"). Such losses can include, but are not limited to travel expenses, medical expenses, loss of earnings, care and other miscellaneous expenses.

Future losses and expenses­

You will receive compensation for the losses and expenses that you are likely to incur in the future as a result of your claim. We will require expert reports to provide evidence of such losses, which can be wide ranging depending on the nature and extent of the injuries you have suffered. These might include, but are not limited to care, case management, accommodation, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, aids and appliances, travel expenses, medical expenses, loss of earnings and pension and other miscellaneous expenses.

Why choose Fieldfisher

Fieldfisher are one of the UK's leading medical negligence solicitors according to the independent directories, Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. Our lawyers can provide immediate advice and will be willing to travel to see you at home, in hospital, or at any other location that is convenient for you, in order to assist you. We conduct the vast majority of our cases on a "no win no fee" basis or with the support of Legal Aid.

Our team have recovered some of the highest awards of compensation in hospital medical negligence claims, which you can read about on our website. Last year alone, our medical negligence team recovered over £107 million in compensation for our clients. In addition, if you want the reassurance that we have successfully claimed compensation against the hospital that you were treated at, you can use our "search by hospital" facility by clicking here to see some of the successful claims we have concluded.